The Delphic Emir

Code ERROR by Lipstick

" Ma'am..." He sang and I looked at him squinting my eyes.

" What happened?" I asked taking my seat.

" The Oberais preponed the meeting ma'am. And we must be there by 12:30 P.M." He blasted a big bomb on my head. First of all, I'm not ready to face my husband and on top of all, he PREPONED the meeting. Does he plan to give me a heart attack or what?

I looked at my watch and it's freaking 11:30 P.M. We freaking need to rush.

" We just have an hour Revanth." I almost screamed and he nodded.

" NO worries ma'am. I got the car ready. I gathered all the files ready and the heads of our teams are also ready waiting for you. We just have to start now." He said and I nodded. We took a high-speed lift and it got us down. There was our team already in the cars and Revanth and I got inside.

Revanth looked well prepared. I remember making a deal with my husband just out of fun 5 months ago and I long forgot about it. That sneaky bastard looks all ready to take the revenge on me. Revanth urged the driver to drive faster while I could hear my heartbeats. Karthik would definitely catch me even if I'm a meter distance from him.

We entered the premises of the company and there were people ready to lead us.

Revanth was walking behind me and he looks stoic today.

" Ma'am please calm down. I know we are in a hurry but trust me. I've gone through the work and there is nothing that they can point out. There might be a few additions. That's it. And you need not speak." Revanth assured and I looked at him nodding.

We entered the meeting room and there was my Satan sitting in his chair looking at us with his dark eyes. I was taken aback by the intensity for a second. The air around was filled with tension which could even be cut with a blunt knife.

We took our seats and our team greeted theirs with polite nods. I looked at Karthik to greet him but he avoided looking at me which pricked my heart. He could at least be civil when we came here as his partners. The project meeting had started, but the lingering tension was palpable. The presentation slides were met with strained silence, and the usual camaraderie between the two teams had evaporated into an uncomfortable void.

I stole a glance at my husband, who sat across the table, his jaw clenched and eyes fixed on the screen. I felt a pang of guilt for the harsh words exchanged in the heat of an argument the previous day. I shouldn't have done that. His hurtful eyes said that he did nothing to harm me. I know, it was so late to read between the lines which he tried to make me understand.

I knew I had hurt him, and as the meeting progressed, I could see the impact of their strained relationship on the collaborative spirit that had once defined our teams.

As discussions continued, I found myself lost in regret, replaying the hurtful words in my mind. My Satan definitely doesn't deserve this. As the last night scenes played in front of my eyes, my eyes burned blurring my vision.

I long to bridge the gap that unknowingly both Karthik and I had created. But he is not ready now. I wish I could turn back the time and rekindle our fractured relationship instead of pushing him away.

" So that's how we are going to introduce our brand to the public." I came out of my trance when I heard the sudden eruption of the claps from everyone. I looked at Revanth and he looked at me worried. I clapped reluctantly and felt bad for not being a support to my team and offered some inputs if there were any. I shouldn't let my personal issues overtake my business.

Without uttering a single word, I made a subtle attempt to communicate my remorse. I caught Karthik's eye briefly and offered a small, apologetic smile. It was a silent acknowledgement of the pain that I had caused, a wordless plea for understanding.